1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of kitchen implements, and more specifically, to a collapsible device that holds a baggie open so that it can be filled.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nearly everyone who has attempted to fill a baggie with anything while alone in the kitchen has struggled with the problem of how to hold the baggie open while filling it. These incidents often result in stuff being spilled because a person is not able to hold the baggie open while filling it at the same time. In fact, it is virtually impossible to fill a baggie with a liquid unless someone else is holding the baggie open for you.
What is needed is a device that can be used to hold a baggie open while it is filled and that can be easily used by a person working alone in the kitchen. Ideally, the device would be collapsible so that it does not take up much room in a kitchen drawer or cabinet.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,996 (Turcott, 1981) discloses a foldable device for holding a leaf bag open. The device is comprised of two pairs of legs, each pair being connected to a base member. The legs protrude outwardly at an angle from each base member, and the base members are pivotally connected to each other so that the device may be folded for storage. The legs are comprised of a resilient material so that they can be bowed inward to place the bag over them and so that they will hold the bag taught when released. The legs are inserted into leg holes in the base members and secured in place with thumb screws. One base member is shorter than the other so that one pair of legs is situated inside of the other pair of legs when the device is folded.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,971,642 (Champlin, 1934) describes a paper bag holder with two U-shaped bag supports, each comprised of parallel side bars joined by a straight connecting bar. Each of the U-shaped bag supports is formed from a single strip of resilient sheet metal, and one of the U-shaped bag supports is wider than the other. One of the U-shaped support bags comprises two pairs of feet (an inner pair and an outer pair), and the other U-shaped support bag comprises a single pair of feet. The U-shaped bag supports are pivotally connected to each other at the center of each connecting bar, and the narrower bag support may be swung so that its feet nest within the inner-most pair of feet of the wider bag support.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,030,775 (Twiss, 1936) provides a container holder in which two base pieces are pivotally connected for a swinging movement. A pair of L-shaped arms is attached to each base piece so that the arms extend vertically upward from the ends of the base pieces. When the device is in a collapsed position, one pair of the L-shaped arms rests within the other; although the length of each base piece is adjustable via a series of slots and rivets, the length of one of the base pieces must be shorter than the length of the other base piece in order for the device to fully collapse.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,800 discloses a trash bag caddy comprising a circular ring or hoop at the top. The circular ring or hoop is attached to two U-shaped leg members, each of which has a central section. The central section of one leg member crosses over the central section of the other leg member and is fixed at a right angle to the central section of the other leg member via a retaining socket. The device is not collapsible.
U.S. Pat. No. D423,823 (Nelson, 2000) shows an apparatus for holding a plastic bag. The apparatus is non-collapsible and has a rigid base.
The present invention is superior to all of the devices discussed above because it is specifically adapted for use with a baggie (as opposed to a larger bag like a leaf bag or a trash bag), and it collapses in a manner that is distinct from any of the inventions described above. As described more fully below, due to the manner in which the device collapses, it is able to hold the baggie in a perfectly even configuration because the distance between one pair of leg members is equal to the distance between the other pair of leg members. In other words, when the device collapses, the two pairs of leg members are perfectly aligned.